Participating in groups can help you accomplish tasks that would be difficult to do on your own. But working in groups is not always easy. In order to increase the chances for a group’s success, it helps to know why small groups form and what stages they go through.

What makes a collection of individuals a small group? Would three friends planning a bridal shower constitute a small group? What about parents talking outside a dance studio as they wait for their children’s lesson to end? Although it may seem as though the people in both of these situations would be considered a small group, only the former matches how communication scholars define the term. A small group is three or more interdependent people who share a common identity and who communicate to achieve common goals. Let’s take a closer look at the defining characteristics of small groups, the different types, and the phases of small group development.